Farmers are eligible for grant money to help with projects to make their operations more environmentally-friendly through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Conservation Stewardship Program is a voluntary program that encourages farmers to put conservation practices into use on their farms. Farmers can get both financial assistance and technical support to do the work on their land.

Farmers can submit applications anytime throughout the year. Simply submitting an application is not binding (farmers can change their mind if they don’t want to go through with the project after all). The federal agency will begin ranking applications for available funding on Jan. 13.

Eligible lands include cropland, improved pastureland and private forest lands. Two types of payments are available, annual payment and supplemental.

www.nc.nrcs.usda.gov or call your local Farm Service Agency.